A bit like the youth she presents, Dance generation is a piece with ups and downs, both feverish and chaotic.
This show, shown at La Licorne, tells the fate of a group of 13-year-old girls who want to win dance competitions in the United States under the auspices of a strict coach, played by Sasha Samar. Vulnerable but enthusiastic, they experience puberty and this sporting challenge with a certain apprehension.
This work by the American Clare Barron shakes up the audience with humor full of unrest. This comedy is overall quite dark with the rivalries between young people, the fear of performance and the coach’s toxic authority, but is balanced by the immense desire to enjoy the teenagers’ lives.
Varied distribution
Émilie Gilbert, Mireille Métellus, Dominique Pétin, Clara Prieur, Pascale Renaud-Hébert and Tova Roy slip into the shoes of these young dancers. They are flanked by a male colleague (Thomas Derasp-Verge), who often acts in the background, but whose presence creates comical moments.
Director Sophie Cadieux chose a diverse cast to convey the feverish energy of youth, particularly by entrusting the roles to actresses for whom this period of their lives was a long time ago. Overall, they succeed in conveying this puberty-specific vitality. However, the play quality of this set is inconsistent.
Omnipresent sexuality
This production puts sexuality in the foreground, be it through the movement of the actresses, their words and the production. This aspect takes up a lot of space.
The main intrigue, which consists of knowing whether this team will succeed in its challenge of winning the competitions, whether the coach’s decisions will be right and how the friendships between the members of the squad will develop, is often interrupted by asides . . Many of these detours do little to enrich our understanding of the characters while opening doors that lead nowhere.
With its crazy approach that sometimes deviates from the basic plot, this proposal aims to be much more than a simple teenage story, for better or worse.
►Dance generation is presented at La Licorne until November 18th.
Dance generation ★★★1⁄2
Director: Sophie Cadieux
With Émilie Gilbert, Mireille Métellus, Dominique Pétin, Clara Prieur, Pascale Renaud-Hébert, Tova Roy and Thomas Derasp-Verge.